Here’s what I’ve been doing:

First and foremost, I pay attention. You know those gnawing pains in the pit of your stomach that suggest anxiety might be creeping in? You know that flush to the face when you’re angered? You know that knot in  your throat when you think you might be irrational, but whatever it is you’re feeling is SO real and unnameable it takes your breath away? You know when you can’t shut the voices off from putting you down and forcing you into a world of self-inflicted guilt? All of those things. All of those signs that my brain is about to get flooded with something I know will grow into a beast I can’t control. Every time something comes up, I write. I time and date the entries, I acknowledge the existence of the strife, name it, write about it, then forget it.

I give myself permission to do it. I write anything and everything. I write letters to the people the bad feelings are about. I write letters to myself. I write stream of consciousness drivel. I write lists. I write single words. I write three pages at a time. If it takes half an hour in the middle of my day to write 2 words, so what? It’s an investment. If it takes 30 seconds to spew complete venomous crap on paper, so what? It’s not hurting anybody.

When I say ‘every time’ I mean it. That journal goes everywhere with me.  Sometimes I’m up at stupid o’clock in the morning writing in it because I tend to do a lot of processing in my dreams, which allows bad feelings to come in unnoticed and leads to anxiety and wakes me up. Sometimes I write at work. Sometimes in the middle of cooking dinner.

I try to find a peaceful time every day when I’m feeling alright to review the entries and look for the patterns. I look for the common triggers. I look for the common times, days of the week, etc…

I give myself permission to fail. I can’t always get to writing at all times. Things will come through unnoticed. I’m not always feeling free enough from inner turmoil to look at it all objectively every day. It’s hard stuff to look at. And that’s OK.

Once I get to reviewing, I start placing not only ownership, but also values on those things I feel. When it’s all written down in front of me it’s easy to see that they’re mine, all mine. No one can make me feel those bad things. They’re emotions. They’re there. Sure, many are triggered by external sources, but they’re all mine. Part of me. Some of them are useful. Some of them are there to guard me against what the world throws at me. Some live in those places of hurt so deep they’re rubbed raw and all it takes is a look to make them come out. Some are bigger than others. Some are so small they’re laughable. All me. I value them according to what they teach me.

After a time I’ve found myself writing about happier things. Noticing the flush to the face that happens when getting a sincere compliment. Noticing how differently I laugh when I’m around certain people or how much easier everything is when I have something to look forward to. I”ve begun to notice and write about and place value upon those things too. Because those things are also mine.

I think it works, because it helps put things into perspective. It also keeps me from ‘acting out’ (I do that, I admit it) and trying to force the world to make up for it all before I’ve had a chance to think about how my behaviours will impact my psyche in the long run. It makes me see that a lot of it is because of situations I choose to put myself in. It’s part of a way out of a cycle. It helps differentiate the stuff on the surface that can be dealt with and discarded from the deep hurt that’s still raw and really, actually challenging.

xoxo,

M

1. My thrifted cords. They were $5. They’re 2 sizes smaller than the last pair I bought (yes, I’m vain like that). They’re in the happiest shade of teal that I’m positive cannot be found in nature.

2. Emmy. She’s the shit. I don’t know anyone else I would rather call at 2:45 on a Sunday morning to get me out of jail.

3. My renewed sense of resolve. I’ve cut a lot of bullshit and clutter out of my psyche through sheer bloody-mindedness and it’s doing me a world of good. Not sure where it will lead, but it feels damned great.

4. My job. Sure, it’s sometimes fraught like just about every job on the planet, but it’s there, it’s steady and it’s filled with lots of weird, wonderful, beautiful people that I get to hang with every Monday to Friday (except today because I’m off sick…and on bank holidays…but the option is there…you know what I mean).

5. My walks. I was out at the oval with the dog last night thinking how nice it is to live in a city in which I can get from here to there with two feet and a heartbeat. I don’t always choose to, but again, I have that option.

6. My optimism. I’ve had a lot come crashing down lately (mostly my sanity), but have never once thought ‘this is it.’

7. Music. It’s always there. Always on. Quick-witted. Like the cool best friend I get to live vicariously through.

8. Food. When I can’t muster up the motivation and drive to do anything non-practically creative, food is always there as an inspiration.

9. Lynda. She always knows when to come in with a sense of humour and when things are really as heavy as they are – and still comes in with a sense of humour anyway.

10. The sprogs. I couldn’t ask for two better beings with whom to just occupy space.

What does ‘friends’ look like?

How do I let go of all of the shit?

Is he thinking about me?

Is he with someone else?

Why am I not good enough?

Why doesn’t he want me?

Why can’t I get it together?

Why can’t I just be normal and sane?

Why can’t I be fixed and whole RIGHT NOW?

Why do I care so fucking much?

You know – all of those things the voices say that lead you to listen to sad songs and be so broody and obsessive you may as well have been named Heathcliff. This is what happens when you put all of your all into a someone that’s not you. When you don’t guard your self. It’s not healthy, kittens. It’s not healthy, but it happens. In fact, I know a lot of people to whom the ‘codependent’ label could be applied. We can get into that another time. Reality is that we fell back into our old codependent roles within no time at all and it was continuing and we were dragging each other in and over and through, but never out…never, ever out…all over again. Keeping each other exactly where we were because that’s all we’ve known for a very long time.

So then: epiphany! Two epiphanies, as it were. Two great big terrifying eye-openers that came crashing down like a month of Sundays:

NYE: Epiphany the first: I haven’t forgiven myself. This I know I can do.

My Birthday: Epiphany the second: I haven’t forgiven him. This I’m still not sure about.

I pulled my usual phoenix routine.

I pushed and ran.

I burnt it all down and started again.

I did terrible things to him. To us.

I spat venom at him until I knew I could safely slink back to my cave and not have to worry about what he thought of me. Until I knew I would be safe from his love for a long, long time.

Possibly forever.

The permanence of it is terrifying, but necessary. Carreening back through the loop-de-loop of old patterns was not helping either one of us to heal ourselves. We were not going to stop hurting each other. Everything was too much, too soon. Necessary in spirit, but not in method. Someday I’ll forgive myself for that too.

I take some small comfort in that terror. I can breathe through it because it’s all mine and I don’t have to share it with anyone. Because you can’t get lazy with fear.

Now to reimagine myself. Now to reawaken the me who doesn’t need to consume and be consumed. I used to know her. I know she’s still in there somewhere.

Now to forgive.

Jamie, because it took so long, you get 183ish nameable emotions of mine:

love curious elation envy guilt wretched shame boredom happiness optimism trust anger fear sadness disgust surprise cherished fear rejection emptiness submissive annoyed contemptuous aggressive remorseful proud loving loved wrecked gutted irritated enthralled engrossed nervous anticipatory neglected abandonned smothered relentless bloody-minded stubborn shocked awed loathed alienated welcome envelopped dismayed disappointed content eager orgasmic cranky relieved jealous hurt honoured worshipped amazed anxious desperate hopeful hopeless pitiful sympathetic empathetic worried furious fierce alive hostile aware in love aroused lustful delicate worthy honest needy distrustful impetuous impatient hopeful believed awed beautiful vengeful wanted desired fraught enraged peaceful warm talented appreciated intelligent gross amazed wonderous wonderful pain caring envied dumb heartache broken fixable ok passionate creative sick like a fucking shrew mournful promise frustrated clean zealous sexy appreciative overwhelmed snotty overjoyed lovely graceful conquering agreeable destined delighted longing satisfied astonished resentful tormented despair insecure unworthy miserable embarassed tense relaxed awake in the moment homesick lonely bitter euphoric adored capable revered affectionate cuddly courageous interested moody competent ecstatic sentimental verklempt exasperated grief isolated outnumbered uneasy out of touch apprehension desire insulted abused distressed unsure amused down right giddy desirable enthusiastic defeated bemused non-plussed careless care-free bodacious gluttonous hated obtuse glad

…and that one, you know the one that hits you like a hurricane and you can’t name? the one that comes as the result of someone touching your life so deeply but it’s lovewantdesperationhope? there’s no name for that one, but it’s kinda wonderful.

xo,

M

He made this:

Yummy coffee cake. I’ve not tried it yet (well, I had a wee bit of the stuff that stuck to the sides of the pan), but it looks and smells incredible.

I’ve been working on this:

That’s a big puddle ‘o quilt I’m working on for a wee button due to shuffle onto this spinning rock sometime next month. I kind of love quilting. My way of quilting anyway. The way a colour story comes together and can be screwed with is my kind of fun.

In between quilty things, I made challah, using this recipe.

A few words about the recipe:

1. I often cook breads on the top rack of the oven with a pan of water on the lower rack. This caused the cook time to be much longer than what is cited in the recipe.
2. The recipe makes 4 x 1 pound loaves. I did a plaited loaf + gynormous rolls. This also upped the cook time considerably.
3. I used silicon muffin ‘tins’ for the rolls & a cooking stone for the loaf. If you do not have these things, go get some now. They will revolutionize the way you bake.

This stuff is easy peasy, lemon squeezy. No kneading required, just a little time to let it rise a couple of times. Soooo delicious. 2 of the humongous rolls from the batch disappeared within about 30 seconds. So good:

I also did a proper braid:

Well, maybe not proper. There are only 3 strands in the plait as opposed to the usual 6ish. Next time I’ll do a 6-strand plait.

So yeah, in the end: totally gratifying recipe.

Even though this puggle follows me to the washroom and whimpers whenever I leave the room, the man-child is Vizzini’s go-to for playtime:

That last pic is ‘Zzini’s ‘I von zee bone, but lost mah friend!’* look. Dude idolizes that kid.

*The dog speaks with an unidentifiable accent. What do you expect from a dog named Vizzini?

via sexdrugscocopuffs.

Oh! And happy new year!

As requested, kittens, here is the recipe for the chicken portion of the dinner from last night, condensed to serve 4 rogues and/or misfits, rather than 9:

What you need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 lb of mushrooms (I used a combination of oyster, shiitake, and cremini) cut/broken down to bite-sized pieces

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 cups of dry, white wine

1 cup of half and half

1/4 cup of butter

1/4 cup of grated parmesan or romano cheese

1 cup of chopped, italian parsley

black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 °F.
2. In a large skillet (if you have an oven-safe skillet, you can use it to cook the entire dish), brown the chicken breasts in 1 tablespoon of the butter.
3. Remove the breasts and deglaze the skillet with a quater to half of the wine.
4. Return the chicken breasts to the skillet.
5. Top the breast with the mushrooms, onion, shallots, and garlic.
6. Add the remainder of the wine and the butter.
7. Cook the lot of it in your oven-safe skillet at 350 °F for about 30-35 minutes, or until your meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 170 °F.
8. Remove the chicken from the skillet and move to a dish that will catch any drippings while they rest, leaving the mushrooms, garlic, onion, shallots, and remaining sauce in the skillet.
9. Reduce the sauce in the skillet by about half, over medium heat.
10. Slowly stir in the cream and cheese until completely combined.
11. Stir in the parsley.
12. Return the breasts to the skillet and heat briefly until warm.
13. Serve the breasts and sauce over focaccia slices, halved lengthwise with grilled or sautéed vegetables of your choice.

http://www.youtube.com/v/F_jyXJTlrH0&hl=en_US&fs=1&

All images via V Magazine.

I’ve had a few days to chew on these images, a sneak peek of V issue #63′s One Size Fits All article, and their attempt to break through the size barriers by showcasing the clothing on one ‘model-sized model’ (Jacqulyn Jablonski) and one ‘plus-sized model’ (Crystal Renn). I’m decidedly undecided about it, so I’ll leave you with my initial thoughts.

The good:

• The clothing: I love that all of these ensembles are unapologetically bold, bright, patterned, & skin bearing.
• The styling: both models look amazingly fresh and right now.
• The modelling: fierce + sultry. my favourite.
• The photography: so very, very clever.
• The models don’t appear to be that much different in size: I suppose this could be a bad point, but I appreciate that, even though there’s quite a large distance between their sizes, both bods are completely stunning (all of those LEGS! *drools*)

The bad:

• The comparison: while I suppose this could be a good thing, I feel like I’m forced to make the comparison in every image. I’m not allowed to just be happy about these beautiful clothes on beautiful women. 
• The lack of variety: though the message is heard, it’s kind of a drop in the ocean. this shoot really only goes about a quarter of the way. a variety of models in a variety of shapes and sizes workin’ it the way these two do would make for better delivery.

All in all, I think it’s a good effort and I sincerely hope other vashion mags take their cue. What do you think?